ONE of Britain's leading constitutional experts due to speak at a conference on devolution today will dub Peter Hain the Godfather of Welsh politics.

ONE of Britain's leading constitutional experts due to speak at a conference on devolution today will dub Peter Hain the Godfather of Welsh politics.

Professor Robert Hazell will tell the conference that Welsh Secretary Mr Hain has a historic choice: either to carry on as a godfather figure, propping up the existing constitutional settlement for Wales, or to act as an architect to create a new and more enduring political framework.

Mr Hain will give the keynote speech to the Institute of Welsh Affairs conference in Cardiff which will look at Assembly powers and funding and analyse the impact of coalition politics during the first four years of devolution.

The Liberal Democrat AM for Cardiff Central, Jenny Randerson, said at the weekend that the time had come for Mr Hain to show his commitment to Wales.

"At the moment it looks very much like he is using Wales as a platform for his political career," she said.

"It is time he started to use his job in Government as a platform for Wales.

"Everyone else has said what they think about further powers for the Assembly. Some want more powers, some don't. Peter Hain and the rest of the Labour Party are sitting firmly on the fence. Everyone else has found enough evidence to make up their minds on this issue, yet because they are divided the Labour Party simply will not express an opinion.

"The Labour Party is in danger of strangling the Assembly, which is still in its infancy.

"Peter Hain's keynote speech to this conference is the perfect opportunity to come clean about his position on Assembly powers."

Mr Hain hit back, saying, "This is pure nonsense and rather pointless mischief-making, which I am afraid is sadly typical of the Liberal Democrats.

"The Labour Party evidence to the Richard Commission on the Assembly's powers will be going in shortly and when that happens it will be published.

"What Jenny Randerson doesn't seem to understand is that Labour is the governing party in both Westminster and Cardiff Bay, and as a consequence we will await the results of the Richard Commission, including the assessment of Labour's evidence.

"The truth is that Wales has had a very good deal. If she looks for a single thing that has not happened since I became Secretary of State 10 months ago that would have happened with anyone else in the job she will not find one. Take the transfer of powers over the fire service to the Assembly, for example. And there are a lot of other things in the pipeline over the next period."

Mr Hain said that despite speculation about power over the police being transferred to the Assembly there had been no request from the Assembly along those lines.

Asked how he was coping with his dual responsibilities as Leader of the House of Commons and Secretary of State for Wales, Mr Hain said, "There is a lot of hard work but I think it's working well.

"There is no difficulty in principle that I have found at all in the first three weeks. It's challenging, but I am used to a busy life, particularly after going back and forth to Brussels in my previous job representing Britain at the European Convention."

At today's conference Mr Hain's speech will follow that of Professor Robert Hazell, director of the Constitution Unit.

Professor Hazell will say, "The political context for the Richard Commission has changed. In Wales there may be less desire to demand legislative powers for the Assembly now Labour are governing without the Liberal Democrats, but they should think twice because the political context in London has changed too. The reshuffle showed just how fragile the present arrangements are.

"Wales needs something more durable than a settlement which depends on a godfather figure who can be removed by one stroke of the Prime Minister's pen.

"Hain is the key figure in all this. Once Richard has reported he must persuade his colleagues in the British Government to look again at the Welsh settlement; and as Leader of the House he must find the legislative time for a devolution Act for Wales.

"He can carry on as the godfather figure propping up the existing arrangements or he can be the architect of a new and more enduring settlement. It is a big historical choice, not just for him but for all the people of Wales."